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Editors Note: This is a running series documenting four UNC student's experience at the COP 23 in Bonn, Germany. See the previous entry here.

By Andrea Orengo

The effects of climate change are felt around the world by every person on the planet. However, not everyone is affected equally. It is the most marginalized and disenfranchised individuals of society that receive the swiftest and harshest effects from climate change, not the countries that contribute the most to the problem. People who are less likely to have access to resources, human rights, education, or access to healthcare are also less likely to be able to respond the negative effects of climate change.

Climate change compounds existing issues stemmed from deeper societal problems. Women, indigenous peoples, the LGBTQ+ community, those who are differently abled, the young, the old are just a few of the groups that are all impacted by climate change more severely. No one can dispute the fact that gender equality and women’s rights are absolutely vital to effectively act on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

This Tuesday, I made a point to attend meetings and talk to people about gender equality and climate change mitigation. What resonated with me the most was the unique influence women have over climate mitigation.

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1. Women around the world do not have the same rights as men. I know this point might seem obvious, but it is still important. Often times women cannot own or make decisions about the land they use to support their families, have limited to no political power, and are less likely to have access to an education. They are also prescribed traditional roles that lessen both their bodily integrity and economic autonomy.

2. The same factors that make women more vulnerable, also place them in a unique position to mitigate climate change. Many traditional roles for women make them responsible for feeding the family. This means that women have a gigantic amount of practical knowledge about the natural resources around them. Women already practice sustainable practices, not out of a need to protect the climate, but because they understand that in order to feed their family, they have to take care of their land.

3. When given the education and tools, women are more likely to practice methods that protect their families When women are given the rights they deserve, they invest their expendable income back into their families. It has been proven time and time again, that when women are given expendable income, they invest that income back into their children’s (specifically their daughters’) education.

What does this all mean? This means that we cannot think about climate change as just an environmental issue. The best and most effective climate change mitigation practices we can implement going forward are not those that focus solely on protecting rainforests or waterways, but those that structure their policies around human rights. If human rights are at the core of climate mitigation policies, everything else falls into place. Why?